Paper-cutting machine



June 26, 1 9 45. MCLAUGHLIN 2,379,171

PAPER CUTTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 5, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.FREDERICK D.McLAUGHLlN m ww ATTORNEYS June 26, 1945.

F. D. M LAUGH-LIN.

PAPER CUTTING MACHINE Filed Nov; 5, 1945 Z'Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

FREDERICK D. Mc LAUGHLIN .w s 5 W III lhml will!!! I Patented June 26,1945 PAPElit-CUTTIN G MACHINE Frederick D. McLaughlin, Shaker Heights,Ohio, assignor to The Ehandler & Price Company, Cleveland, (ihio, acorporation of Ohio Application November 5, l9 4,@Serlal No. 509,055

8 Elaims.

The present improvements, relating as indicated to paper cuttingmachines, have more particular regard to means for operating the cutterbar in such machines.

In paper cutters such as are employed in print shops and book bindingestablishments, as is well known, a stack of sheets supported against agauge on a suitable table is clamped in place and a knife is forceddownwardly through the stack in order to cut the same to desireddimensions. In heavier machines it is usual to employ power to operatethe bar which carries such knife or cutter and also in some cases theclamp. While I am aware that in Patent No. i,&80,598 to R. S. Tyler etal., dated October d, N32, hydraulic power means are disclosed foroperating the latter, so far as I know similar means have never beensuccessfully applied to the operation of the knife or cutting mechanismproper.

One object accordingly of the present invention is a) provide hydraulicmeans suitable for opersting the knife or cutter bar in a paper cuttingmachine of the type in question. A further object is to provide such amechanism which will pull or force the knife through the paper to be cutand then return the knife to the top of its stroke ready for freshoperation. Another object is to provide a control for such hydraulicmeans which will render it necessary for the operator to utilize bothhands when the knife is thus being pulled or moved to cut the paper.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention,then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularlypointed out in the claims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism ment to the knife.

embodying the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, butone of various mechanical forms in which the principle of the inventionmay be used.

In said annexed drawings:

Fig. l is a front elevation of a paper cutting machine wherein myimproved hydraulic operating means have been incorporated;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of such machine as viewed from the right inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a lay-out more or less schematic in character of the hydraulicoperating means; and

Fig. 4 is a. sectional detail of the connection between the hydraulicpiston and knife bar of the machine.

Referring to the general construction of the machine as illustrated inFigs. 1 and 2, such maon which is supported the table 2 designed toreceive the stack or pile of sheets to be cut. For

the purpose in hand it has been deemed unnecessary to illustrate eitherthe adjustable gauge whereby such stack would be located on said tableor the clamp whereby the stack after being thus located is firmly heldin place during the cutting operation.

Rising above bed I at each end thereof are slotted side frames 3 whichare connected above by a cross member It. The slots in such side framereciprocably receive the bar or frame 5 to the lower edge of which theknife 6 is attached. Such knife bar is supported by means of parallellinks 7 from cross frame member 4 so that upon being lowered from theposition shown in Fig. 1 said bar, together with the knife 6 carriedthereby, will at the same time be moved longitudinally so as to impartdesired sliding cutting move- One end to of knife bar 5 is extended soas to project beyond the adjacent slotted side frame 3 and it is to thisend that the hydraulic operating means now to be described areconnected. I

The principal element of such hydraulic operating means is a cylinder l0fixedly secured to the front face of main frame 3 at an angle such thatits axis will be approximately aligned with the outer end of projection5a on the knife bar. A piston H reciprocably mounted in said cylindercarries a piston rod l2 which projects through the upper end of thecylinder and is connected by means of a link l3 with said cutter barprojection to. This link, as best shown in Fig. a, comprises tworod-like parts, the adjacent ends of which are oppositely threaded andare engaged by a correspondingly threaded nut hi so that by rotation ofthe latter said link may be lengthened or shortened within limits asdesired. By the means just described it will be seen that the positionof the knife at the end of its cutting stroke can be changed without.altering the stroke of the piston.

A pump 20 is provided to supply oil or other liquid through suitableconnections to the respective ends of cylinder ill whereby reciprocationof piston H is effected. Such pump 26 is preferably of the circulatingtype having a variable displacement at constant speed so as to deliver apractically pulsationless. current of oil to the cylinder. Such oil istaken from a tank 2| and discharged through a main line 22 in whichisinterposed a valve 23 for relieving excessive pressure through aconnection 24 to the chine will be seen to comprise a suitable base ireturn line 25. g H j The flow of liquid supplied by the pump throughline 22 and the return of such liquid through line 25 is subject to thecontrol of two valves 26 and 21 respectively equipped with operatinglevers 28 and 29 which project forwardly from the machine below table 2within convenient reach of the operator as he stands in front of themachine. As will be presently explained, it is necessary for theoperator to grasp both these levers by his respective hands and thusactuate the corresponding valves in order to effect downward movement ofthe knife bar, and if either hand be removed from the control levermovement of the bar will automatically stop. In this way it is renderedcertain that the operator's hands will be at all times out of dangerfrom the descending knife.

Associated with control valves 26 and 21, a third valve 30 is providedadjacent the upper end of the cylinder Hi, this valve constituting anautomatic kick-out which prevents further movement of the piston in thecylinder and thus of the knife bar at the upper end of the stroke ofsaid piston, i. e. when said knife bar has been raised to its uppermostposition. This valve is designed to be operated by means of a camshapeddog 3| adiustably mounted on an arm 32 attached in parallel relation topiston rod l2. By shifting the position of the dog on said rod the pointin the movement of the piston at which the supply of fluid producing theupward stroke is thus automatically cut 0115 by valve 30 may be varied.In other words, depending upon the height of the stack of paper to becut, the knife bar may be brought to a stop at any desired eie-. vationabove the table 2 and there held ready for a repeat operation by againactuating simultaneously the two control valves 2i and 21.

The particular construction of valves 26, 21 and 3. forms no part of thepresent invention, but typical valves suitable for the purpose arediagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3 along with the connectionstherebetween and with the cylinder l and the main supply and returnlines 22 and 25. As thus illustrated, the valves are of multiport typewith a plurality of pistons on a common stem so that by shifting suchstems the aforesaid lines or'branches thereof may be variouslyconnected. Thus in the position of parts shown in Fig. 3 whichrepresents the idle position of the machine, i. e. that in which theknife bar is in raised position, the following connections obtain, viz.:There is an open path of flow for the liquid supplied to line 22 throughbranch 35, connected ports in valve 26, branch 36, connected ports invalve 21 to branch 31 of the return line. At the same time theconnection between valve 21 and the lower end of piston It) by way ofbranch 28 is'closed so that the pressure of the liquid supplied throughbranch 39 to the upper end of the cylinder is ineffective to move thepiston in said cylinder downwardly. The port in valve 21 wherewithbranch 28 is connected was closed when the piston reached its indicatedposition due to actuation of valve 30 which served to place incommunication through said valve, branch 40 leading from branch 26, andbranch ll, which leads to the lower end of said valve 21, with theresult that the pistoncarrying stem of said valve is moved upwardly. Aninspection of the lay-out of Fig. 3 will show that downward movement ofthe stem of either valve 28 or valve 21 alone, and correspondingdisplacement of the pistons carried by said stems will be ineffective tochange the pressure conditions in cylinder l0. However, upon pressingboth of said valve stems downwardly the following connections will beestablished between the main supply line 22 and return line 2!, viz.:Branch 39 to the upper end of cylinder I! remains open but branch 38from the lower end of said cylinder is connected through the ports ofvalve 21 to branch 36 and through ports in valve 26 to branch 42 whichleads to return line 25. Accordingly, the pressure on the under side ofthe piston in cylinder Ill is relieved and the piston will movedownwardly imparting to the knife a corresponding downward or cuttingstroke. Upon the completion of such stroke the operator, by releasingpressure on the stems of both valves 26 and 21, will permit the latterto return to the idle position first described above. Incidentally t thedownward movement of the piston in cylinder Ill, valve II being relievedfrom engagement with dog 3| returns to its normal position in whichbranch ll is connected through the ports in said valve with branch 43and thence to the return line 25. In this condition the valve is againready upon reengagement of the dog with its stem to cut oil? the upwardmovement of the piston and cylinder II when the latter is againoperated.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that with the pumprunning so asto supply oil or equivalent liquid under substantiallyconstant pressure to line 25, the piston in cylinder II will normallyactuate the knife bar to raise the same, and in order to cause reversemovement of, the piston to lower the knife bar it is necessary for theoperator to depress the stems of both of the valves 26 and 21. At anytime during such down stroke of the piston and blade such stroke may bereversed by releasing the control valves. Moreover, the adjustable dogassociated with the rod of piston H in cylinder Ill whenever it engagesthe stem of valve 20 will stop further upward movement of said piston,leaving the same ready for actuation downwardly whenever the operator isready to repeat the cutting operation. 'The use of dual control valvesit will be seen makesit absolutely necessary for the operator to haveboth hands on 'the levers which operate said valves and these beinglocated at some distance from the cutting knife it is impossible foreither hand to be caught by the latter as it descends. for the momenteither hand is removed from the corresponding control lever, operationof the piston l l is automatically stopped.

It will be noted that the parallel links 1 whereby knife bar 5 issupported from cross frame member l are inclined at an angle to thelatter, or in other words to the horizontal, and that the angle at whichthe cylinder l0, and thus the piston which operates in said cylinder issecured to the main frame, is opposite to that of said links. Theeffectiveness of the action of the piston on its down stroke is thusincreased, the lateral shifting movement of the knife bar being takencare of by the link connection between the piston and the projecting endof said bar. At the same time by making such link adjustable the extentof the downward stroke of the knife can be very nicely gauged.

Other modes of applying the principle of my invention may be employedinstead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanismherein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the followingclaims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a reciprocable knife,hydraulic means for reciprocating said knife, dual controls for saidmeans, said controls requiring simultaneous actuation to be effective,and an adjustable stop limiting operation of said means in onedirection.

2. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a reciprocable knife,hydraulic means for reciprocating said knife, dual controls for saidmeans, said controls requiring simultaneous actuation to be effective,and an adjustable stop adapted to render said controls ineffective.

3. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a table, a knifereciprocable towards and from said table, a cylinder and piston adaptedto reciprocate said knife, connections for supplying fluid underpressure to opposite ends of said cylinder, and dual valves controllingsaid connections, said valves requiring to be simultaneously actuated toeffect movement of said knife towards said table.

4. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a table, a knifereciprocable towards and from said table, a cylinder and piston adaptedto reciprocate said knife, connections for supplying fluid underpressure to opposite ends of said cylinder, dual valves controlling saidconnections, said valves requiring to be simultaneously actuated toeffect movement of said knife towards said table, and an adjustable stopmovable conjointly with said piston adapted to render said controlsineffective.

5. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a table, a knifereciprocable towards and from said table, a cylinder and piston adaptedto reciprocate said knife, connections for supplying fluid underpressure to opposite ends of said cylinder, said cylinder being mountedin fixed relation to said table and said piston having link connectionwith said knife, and an adjustable stop movable conjointly with saidpiston adapted to cut off such fluid supply upon predetermined upwardmovement of said knife.

6. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a table, a knifereciprocable towards and from said table, angularly disposed parallellinks supporting said knife, a cylinder and piston adapted toreciprocate said knife, said piston being mounted in fixed relation tosaid table at an angle opposite to the angle of said links, and anotherlink connecting said piston with one end of said blade.

7. In a paper cutting machine, the combination of a table, a knifereciprocable towards and from said table, a cylinder and piston adaptedto reciprocate said knife, connections for supplying fluid underpressure to opposite ends of said cylinder, dual valves controlling saidconnections, said valves requiring to be simultaneously actuated toeffect movement of said knife towards said table, and levers foractuating said valves disposed below said table.

8. In a paper cutting machine the combination of a table, a knifereciprocable towards and from said table. angularly disposed parallellinks supporting said knife, a cylinder and piston adapted toreciprocate said knife, said piston being mounted in fixed relation tosaid table at an angle opposite to the angle of said links, and anotherlink connecting said piston with one end of said blade, said last-namedlink being adjustable in length.

FREDERICK D. McLAUGHLIN.

